by Tom Pelissero, USA TODAY Sports

by Tom Pelissero, USA TODAY Sports

LONDON - Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith might be facing another fine from the NFL, but he says he's not sure what he could have done differently.

After Sunday's 34-27 win over the Steelers at Wembley Stadium, Smith became the latest defensive player to express frustration over the NFL's rules about high hits after he drew a personal foul for a shot to Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller's head.

"I don't really want to say too much because I don't know where that will get me," Smith said. "But ultimately â?¦ Heath Miller had a knee injury last year, right? And as a player, as a fan, I know that. I don't want to hit him in the knee. I want to hit him in a good area."

The play happened with the Steelers facing third-and-12 midway through the third quarter. Miller came open in the middle of the field and Roethlisberger hit him for a 28-yard gain.

Smith made contact with Miller's head, though it appeared Miller - the ninth-year veteran who returned to action last week, nine months after reconstruction surgery on his right knee - may have contributed to the head shot by lowering his own helmet.

"I try to keep my head out of it," Smith said. "I didn't launch, and I don't really know what else to do. There was a play later where I hit him lower, and I didn't want to do it, but I had to. That might have made him mad.

"Ultimately, we're trying to win the game. It's just - it's tough. I really don't know what else to do in that situation."

Smith was fined at least twice last season - $21,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on San Diego Chargers receiver Mike Willie in an exhibition game and $15,750 for a horse-collar tackle on Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

That could open Smith to more substantial discipline as a repeat offender, though Sunday's infraction hardly looked flagrant. He said he needed to look at the tape to know for certain whether Miller lowered his helmet - not that it mattered.

"They told us even if they lowered their head, if you make contact with the helmet, that's a fine," Smith said. "But that's pretty unreasonable, in my opinion."